


real sweet, but i wish you were sober

by sophiescribbles



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bisexual Sokka (Avatar), Friends in love, Gay Zuko (Avatar), Idiots in Love, M/M, Miscommunication, Pining, Wish You Were Sober, damn this bitch angsty, i'm too tired to finish this fic so it's gonna end angsty, maybe i'll update? who knows, zukka - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-06
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-11 23:15:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29250567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sophiescribbles/pseuds/sophiescribbles
Summary: “Zuko. What the fuck. Do you see this? Do you see how beautiful this is???” Sokka gestured wildly at the window as Zuko quietly walked up to stand next to him.Zuko nodded. He wasn’t looking at the view, though.
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 81





	real sweet, but i wish you were sober

**Author's Note:**

> this fic is (obviously) inspired by the song “wish you were sober” by conan gray! gawd damn i love that song. and these two. enjoy!
> 
> tw: frequent mentions of responsibly used alcohol, one small mention of abusiveness/alcoholism

Zuko fucking hates parties. 

There’s too many drinks, too much noise, and way too many people just standing around, pretending to have a good time. He doesn’t see the point of them, anyway- one only goes to a party if they (a) want to make out with a rando or (b) get totally and completely wasted. And he wants neither. 

Sokka had dragged him to this one, though. And he had clearly chosen option B. 

It was at some random rich sophomore’s house, and despite his anger about being forced to come to the damn thing, Zuko couldn’t help but admire the place. It was huge, with impossibly tall ceilings and a beautiful open-floor plan. The party was mainly taking place in the luxurious living room that opened straight out into the backyard (which, of course, had a giant-ass pool). The room was packed full of drunk college kids of all shapes and sizes, and the music was raging from the giant speakers on the pool deck. The only person there that Zuko knew (besides Sokka) was Suki- Aang, Katara, and Toph had opted out, and Zuko was starting to wish he had joined them. It was really loud, really colorful, and really awful. Zuko had never felt more out of place. 

But huge parties like these were Sokka’s thing, and he had begged Zuko to come with him- like, seriously, he had pestered Zuko every day for practically two weeks. Zuko wasn’t sure why Sokka had wanted him to come so badly, though, seeing as the minute they arrived, Sokka had disappeared into the crowd, yelling _“I’ll be right back! Gotta go say hi to someone!”_ \- leaving Zuko all alone in the middle of a crowd of complete strangers. The fucker. 

So Zuko sat in the corner of the living room for most of the night, pretending to scroll through his phone and watching as a drunk Sokka flitted across the room, chatting up practically everyone he saw. Zuko was completely sober, as he never drank- an abusive alcoholic dad will do that to you. Sokka, though- he was _gone._

Zuko was in awe of the way Sokka was so easy and witty around people, even when he was drunk- more than once, he’d been startled by a burst of laughter only to look up and see that it was Sokka who had made the joke. Once, Sokka had caught his eye from across the room and enthusiastically waved him over- but Zuko had shook his head, motioning for Sokka to continue enjoying the party without worrying about him. Zuko was too awkward, too stiff- he didn’t want to embarrass Sokka in front of his friends. Instead, he kept to his chair in the corner, relatively content to watch his best friend work the room but ready to go enjoy a cup of tea in his bed nonetheless. 

Until Sokka stumbled over to Zuko and threw himself straight into his lap.

Zuko immediately stiffened as Sokka wrapped his arms around his shoulders, nuzzling his head into the crook of Zuko’s neck- right in front of everyone around them. Despite a concentrated effort to keep his face a normal color, Zuko’s cheeks reddened involuntarily at the impossibly close contact. He cleared his throat. 

“I- uh, Sokka… what are you doing?” 

Sokka lifted his head from Zuko’s neck to smile- _fuck_ \- stupidly at the other boy. 

“I don’t know, Zuko, what are _youuuu_ doing?” Sokka giggled at his own (terrible) joke. “Besides brooding in the corner.”

“Wha- I’m not _brooding,_ I’m just, uh…” Zuko paused, for lack of a better way to describe what he had been doing for the past two hours. He _had_ kind of been brooding. 

Sokka smiled triumphantly. “ _Aha!_ You _were_ brooding! But it’s okay, I don’t mind. Especially not when you look so hot right now-” 

Zuko choked mid-seltzer sip. 

_“What?”_

“-nope, nope, I don’ t mind at all.” Sokka continued rambling, oblivious to Zuko’s expression of pure shock. 

Sokka just called him hot. What the fuck? 

Now, don’t get him wrong, Zuko had no problem with Sokka calling him attractive- in fact, more than one of his daydreams involved something very similar. But this… this was _real._ Sokka was literally sitting on his lap and complimenting him, drunk as hell. 

_Drunk as hell._

Zuko sighed. Of course. 

Sokka was only acting like this because he was tipsy- no other reason whatsoever. No matter how much Zuko might wish otherwise, his… _feelings_ towards Sokka were completely one-sided. Besides, someone like Sokka would never be with someone like Zuko- Zuko was all stiff lines, awkward touches, trauma-induced nightmares. Broken goods. But Sokka… Sokka was jumping into the ocean on a hot day. Sokka was coming home after a long trip. Sokka was the feeling of sinking into the arms of the person you love most. 

No matter how much Zuko wanted and wished and cried, Sokka and him were best friends, _roomates_ \- nothing more. And no amount of alcohol would change how Sokka felt about him. 

When Zuko zeroed back in on present moment, he found Sokka studying his face in a way that made the restlessness behind his sternum very hard to ignore. 

They stayed there for one second too long, golden eyes locked with sapphire ones. 

Zuko swallowed. 

“I think it’s time to get you home.” 

\-- 

It took Zuko and Sokka way too long to get to the door, as Sokka insisted on saying goodbye to every single person they came across- literally. And unbeknownst to Sokka, the whole ordeal was torture for Zuko, with Sokka’s arm slung dangerously low on Zuko’s waist in an attempt to balance himself. 

After too much time, they finally stepped out into the cool night air, the loud boom of the music immediately muffling with the close of the front door- leaving Sokka babbling about who-knows-what into the quiet of the night, an arm resting casually on Zuko’s shoulder. Zuko looked over at his friend for a second, Sokka’s sharp jawline and bright eyes illuminated in the moonlight. His trademark ponytail had fallen out at some point during the evening, so his hair messily framed his face. Sokka’s smile was animated and alive as he gestured enthusiastically about the engineering class he was now drunkenly rambling about, and Zuko thought for a second that he had never seen something so beautiful. 

Then he shook his head, remembering. _Get it together._

By some miracle, the pair made it to Zuko’s car, and Sokka threw himself into the passenger’s seat while Zuko climbed into the other side to drive. Sokka was strangely quiet as Zuko started up the car and pulled out of the driveway, making his way home to their shared apartment. 

It was Sokka who broke the quiet of the car. 

“Y’know Zuko, you’re like, the _best.”_

Zuko coughed. _Not this again._ “I’m not so sure about that.” 

“Noooo, you are! You’re so caring, and genuine, and _awkward.”_ Sokka giggled at this, while Zuko look abashed. 

“And you actually _like_ me, Zuko! You’re like, the only one.” Sokka continued, a shadow of sadness flickering over his face. 

“What are you talking about, Sokka. Plenty of people like you.” 

“Not _really_ , though. Plenty of people want to laugh at my _jokes_ , or _make out_ with me- which, of course, I can’t blame them for, since I _am_ pretty funny and attractive.” Sokka giggled again. _Fuck_. “Yet none of them really _like_ me. But you do! And that’s why I like _you_ so much, Zuko. Because you listen to me and drive me home and make me fried eggs in the morning because I can’t make them myself.” 

Zuko chuckled at that, despite the butterflies raging in his stomach. “ _That_ is true. You can’t make fried eggs to save your life.”

“I always burn them!!” Sokka looked very genuinely sad for a moment. Zuko glanced over and had to resist the urge to laugh at his pouted lips and puppy dog eyes. 

“But you don’t! Burn the eggs. And that’s why I like youuuu, Zuko!”

_Fuck_. Sokka was not making this easy- but he was _drunk_ , and that was why he was acting so affectionate tonight. All Zuko had to do was not say or do anything stupid that they would both regret tomorrow, so he just smiled tightly at his friend and glued his eyes to the road, clenching his hands around the wheel. 

\-- 

Somehow, the pair made it all the way up to their apartment. Nothing special, as they were just two broke-ass college kids, but it wasn’t bad, with a beautiful bay window of the Ba Sing Se skyline that twinkled with the city lights on nights like these. Zuko unlocked the door, fumbling with the keys, and the two boys stumbled into the apartment. Zuko flipped a light on while Sokka ran to look at the window like it’s the first time he’d ever seen the view in his life. 

“ _Zuko_. What the fuck. Do you see this? Do you see how beautiful this is???” Sokka gestured wildly at the window as Zuko quietly walked up to stand next to him. 

Zuko nodded. He wasn’t looking at the view, though. 

“Yeah, I see it.” he mumbled, keeping his eyes trained on Sokka. _Jesus fuck._

“Good! Because it’s gorgeous. Look, you can see the university…” Sokka trailed off, finally noticing Zuko’s intense stare. He turned, matching Zuko’s gaze and looking into his eyes with a sincerity that Zuko had never seen come from Sokka. All too late, Zuko noticed himself leaning in, so that their faces were only inches apart. He began to turn away, cheeks burning, when- 

Sokka grabbed his face and pulled him into a kiss. 

Zuko’s brain short-circuited. 

The kiss was somewhere in between rough and gentle, with Sokka’s hands braced against Zuko’s temples and Zuko’s hands involuntarily tangled in Sokka’s hair. For a moment, Zuko thought about nothing more than the fact that Sokka’s lips were soft and that he was grinning stupidly in between kisses. 

Then, with a jolt, Zuko remembered. 

_Drunk. Sokka. Sokka is drunk. And you’re doing the stupid thing you promised yourself you wouldn’t do._

Abruptly breaking the kiss, Zuko backed away, hitting his calves on the coffee table behind him. “No, no… we can’t, I- I’m so sorry, no…” 

Sokka’s face took on an expression of confusion, then horror. “Wait, no, Zuko, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have-” 

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Uh- um, good night, Sokka.” 

“Wait, Zuko-” 

Zuko coughed as he backed his way into his room. He lingered in the doorway just long enough to catch a glimpse of Sokka’s face, still frozen in his spot by the window. 

He shouldn’t have looked. 

_Real sweet, but I wish you were sober._

**Author's Note:**

> i tried to give this fic a nice fluffy ending but it just wasn't working out so i guess i'm leaving it angsty! i'm working on a concept for a multi chapter thing right now though, so hopefully i'll be able to get the first part of that up sooner rather than later :) thanks for reading y'all!


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